Hat-tip to our Energy Correspondent Emily Gosden for this Department of Energy & Climate Change infographic. It was deleted from Gov.uk this week "because of sensitivities", according to a DECC press officer. "Hmmm," says Emily. Quite.

It turns out that the Renewable Energy Association called it "unhelpful" in a press release, pleading that "as Ed Davey stressed… it is not an either/or choice".

What's going on at DECC? I'd hate to start a conspiracy, but did the infographic come from the Tory Energy Minister Michael Fallon's people? Was it squashed by the Lib Dem Energy Secretary, Ed Davey?

Here (via @owenboswarva) is how the Government's official Hinkley Point C news story looked on Wednesday:

Another day, and yet another twist in the energy wars. Less than 24 hours after Sir John Major's thunderbolt idea of a windfall tax on the energy companies' profits, David Cameron revealed a new wheeze. At PMQs he suggested – to Westminster's surprise – that the Government does want to cut household bills by reducing "green charges" on energy after all. "We need to roll back some of the green regulations and charges," he said. For two weeks, the Prime Minister's line has been roughly as follows: we don't do gimmicks, growth is the best way to improve… Read More

If British taxpayers really are in a "global race", they've got some new international talent on their team. The Government has struck a deal with EDF, the French energy giant, to build the first new nuclear power plant in a generation at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. EDF will hold between 45-50 per cent of the equity in the project, reports the FT. The French nuclear developer Areva will hold another 10 per cent – and two state-owned Chinese companies will hold between 30-35 per cent. It's a thoroughly globalised deal and proof, the Chancellor will trumpet, that Britain is truly open for business.

The timing is politically useful for George Osborne. He can claim some… Read More

Dennis Skinner, the Beast of Bolsover, was once haughtily dismissed by David Cameron as a "dinosaur" (the PM later apologised). Other MPs – particularly on the Tory backbenches – view him as little more than a pantomime Left-winger and a Scargillite relic.

But watch the video above, in which Mr Skinner tears into Atos (the French company that carries out work-capability tests on welfare claimants) over a particularly tragic case from his constituency. Is that not, as James Kirkup says, a piece of first-class parliamentary oratory from the 81-year-old MP?

What a shame we don't hear more of it in Parliament: there's no better cure for political apathy.

Starting on p.9 of today's Guardian, you'll find an impressive range of voices sticking up for the paper's coverage of what it calls the "Snowden files" (they're not actually his, but whatever). The first belongs to the editor of the New York Times, Jill Abramson, and on p.13 the very last voice is Dilma Rousseff's, the president of Brazil. (They could also add Vince Cable to the list.)

Fine. But it's also worth revisiting the comments below – all made this week by respected public or establishment figures. Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian's editor, would probably dismiss them out of hand. "They would say that," he'd argue. Or: "Spies and politicians have been making the same arguments since the early 1990s." "We're living in a golden age of surveillance." etc etc.

PMQs took a strangely philosophical turn today when Graham Jones, a Labour backbencher, asked the Prime Minister point blank: "Why is market intervention in… mortgages OK, but market intervention in the energy market is not?"

This is the corner the Conservatives find themselves painted into: pro Help to Buy on the one hand, anti Ed Miliband's energy price freeze on the other. Despite saying Labour's energy policy "struck a chord" on Monday, today Mr Cameron dismissed it roundly. "I know he wants to live in a Marxist universe. He needs a basic lesson in economics," said the PM. In response, Red Ed said his opponent was "floundering" over the cost of living.

The truth is that, yes, he is a bit. The Government has this week announced a curb on… Read More

The row between Ed Miliband and Associated Newspapers escalated today. In an open letter to Lord Rothermere, he complained that a Mail on Sunday reporter was sent to his late uncle's memorial service yesterday – a move which he said "crosses a line of common decency". The editor of the paper apologised "unreservedly" and said "a full investigation is now being carried out". Labour sources say that's not enough. Our report here.

In the midst of this very public affair, a question arises. What does Mr Miliband want out of all this? It's worth remembering that – in the eyes of his supporters – perhaps the greatest political success of his career as Labour leader so far has been the closure of the News of the World, which came… Read More

David Cameron hasn't finished speaking yet, but something is not quite right about his delivery. He looks extremely tired and is speaking not to the hall, but to an autocue and camera towards the back of the room – just as he learnt to do in the 2010 TV election debates. This is presumably Craig Oliver's strategy for a good clip on the News at Ten. Unfortunately, unlike Boris yesterday and Ed Miliband last week, it looks painfully unnatural. Connecting with audiences has always been one of Dave's specialities; if he loses that knack, he's in trouble.

There was no grenade-throwing in Boris's speech to Tory conference today, only the mildest of mischief-making about a French politician who was once a mayor and PM at the same time. He spent most of it addressing "Dave" directly, who was chuckling away in the audience. And we hear the two men even had a big hug afterwards. What's got into him?

There are a couple of theories. First, he may be panicking. At a fringe event last night, when asked if he'd stand down as Mayor of London after his term ends in 2016, Boris said: "A man's got to know his limitations. You've got to be realistic about your shelf life."

Does he feel that he's reaching his Best Before date – that his party will forget him, or… Read More